Susan Kwiecien, PhD

Clinical Research Manager

Susan Kwiecien received her PhD in Exercise Physiology in 2020 from Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England; her dissertation examined the effects of prolonged the duration of cooling using phase change material in an attempt to accelerate recovery from exercise. Previously, she completed her MS in Exercise Science from Adelphi University, Long Island, NY and her Undergraduate Degree in Honours Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Susan previously worked with Dr. McHugh and the New York Rangers hockey club as a Sports Science Consultant over 4 seasons. Susan and Dr. McHugh have ongoing research projects involving high school and collegiate hockey teams. In addition to hockey, her research areas primarily include exercise recovery, cryotherapy, and more recently clinical research. Susan has authored many of the first studies involving phase change material for exercise recovery, as well as investigated recovery in ice hockey players, g-force exposure in contact sport, the use of accelerometers to quantify physical stress, performance demands in softball and baseball pitching, and the effect of adverse neural tension on hamstring strength in rugby players.

Susan was a competitive figure skater in Ontario for 15 years and enjoys applying her practical skills to her research.

ResearchGate page…

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Published Research

O’Hara, D. J., Tyler, T. F., McHugh, M. P., Kwiecien, S. Y., & Bergeron, T. (2022). Use of a Non-Pharmacological Pain Relief Kit to Reduce Opioid Use Following Orthopedic Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Study. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 17(5), 915–923. https://doi.org/10.26603/001c.36625 Cite Download
Mullaney, M. J., McHugh, M. P., Kwiecien, S. Y., Ioviero, N., Fink, A., & Howatson, G. (2021). Accelerated Muscle Recovery in Baseball Pitchers Using Phase Change Material Cooling. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 53(1), 228–235. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002447 Cite Download
McHugh, M. P., Kwiecien, S. Y., Hannon, M. P., & Stewart, R. J. (2014). G-FORCE EXPOSURE IN A CONTACT SPORT: THE USE OF ACCELEROMETERS TO QUANTIFY PHYSICAL STRESS. Journal of Sports Research, 10. Cite Download
McHugh, M. P., Clifford, T., Abbott, W., Kwiecien, S. Y., Kremenic, I. J., DeVita, J. J., & Howatson, G. (2018). Countermovement Jump Recovery in Professional Soccer Players Using an Inertial Sensor. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2018-0131 Cite Download
Kwiecien, S. Y., McHugh, M. P., Hicks, K. M., Keane, K. M., & Howatson, G. (2021). Prolonging the duration of cooling does not enhance recovery following a marathon. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 31(1), 21–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13822 Cite Download
Kwiecien, S. Y., McHugh, M. P., & Howatson, G. (2020). Don’t Lose Your Cool With Cryotherapy: The Application of Phase Change Material for Prolonged Cooling in Athletic Recovery and Beyond. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 2, 118. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2020.00118 Cite Download
Kwiecien, S. Y., McHugh, M. P., & Howatson, G. (2018). The efficacy of cooling with phase change material for the treatment of exercise-induced muscle damage: pilot study. Journal of Sports Sciences, 36(4), 407–413. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2017.1312492 Cite Download
Kwiecien, S. Y., Mathew, S., Howatson, G., & McHugh, M. P. (2019). The effect of varying degrees of compression from elastic vs plastic wrap on quadriceps intramuscular temperature during wetted ice application. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 29(8), 1109–1114. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13430 Cite Download
Kwiecien, S. Y., O’Hara, D. J., McHugh, M. P., & Howatson, G. (2020). Prolonged cooling with phase change material enhances recovery and does not affect the subsequent repeated bout effect following exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 120(2), 413–423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04285-5 Cite Download
Kwiecien, S. Y., McHugh, M. P., Goodall, S., Hicks, K. M., Hunter, A. M., & Howatson, G. (2019). Exploring the Efficacy of a Safe Cryotherapy Alternative: Physiological Temperature Changes From Cold-Water Immersion Versus Prolonged Cooling of Phase-Change Material. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 1288–1296. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2018-0763 Cite Download
Kwiecien, S. Y., & McHugh, M. P. (2021). The cold truth: the role of cryotherapy in the treatment of injury and recovery from exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 121(8), 2125–2142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-021-04683-8 Cite Download
Kwiecien, S. Y. (2023). Is it the End of the Ice Age? International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, V18(3). https://doi.org/10.26603/001c.74273 Cite Download
Kwiecien, S. Y. (2020). Letter to the Editor re “Volume of water added to crushed ice affects the efficacy of cryotherapy: a randomised, single-blind, crossover trial.” Physiotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2020.02.007 Cite Download
Glace, B. W., Kremenic, I. J., Hogan, D. E., & Kwiecien, S. Y. (2023). Incidence of concussions and helmet use in equestrians. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 26(2), 93–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2022.12.004 Cite Download
Corben, J. S., Cerrone, S. A., Soviero, J. E., Kwiecien, S. Y., Nicholas, S. J., & McHugh, M. P. (2015). Performance Demands in Softball Pitching: A Comprehensive Muscle Fatigue Study. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 43(8), 2035–2041. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546515588179 Cite Download
Clifford, T., Abbott, W., Kwiecien, S. Y., Howatson, G., & McHugh, M. P. (2018). Cryotherapy Reinvented: Application of Phase Change Material for Recovery in Elite Soccer. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(5), 584–589. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2017-0334 Cite Download
Allan, R., Malone, J., Alexander, J., Vorajee, S., Ihsan, M., Gregson, W., Kwiecien, S., & Mawhinney, C. (2022). Cold for centuries: a brief history of cryotherapies to improve health, injury and post-exercise recovery. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 122(5), 1153–1162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-022-04915-5 Cite Download